News

ACRE enrollment begins this month

Enrollment in the Average Crop Revenue Election program opens April 27. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calls the 2008 farm bill provision an innovative alternative tothe traditional farm safety net. The new option, he says, presents an opportunity for producers to review both programs and decide which one will work best.

Visiting a farm near Lathrop, Missouri Tuesday, Vilsack blamed delays in ACRE on several circumstances, includingcomplications in farm bill implementation, the change in administration, and what he calls a somewhat antiquated USDA computer system. He added, however, that producers have longer to decide whether ACRE is right for them.

“Because of the complexity of this program,and it’s new and it offers options, we want to give farmers a chance to really digest and understand the program,” Vilsack explained. “The sign-up was going to be cut off June 1, but we decided to extend that to August 14.”

Producers who elect the ACREprogram agree to forgo counter-cyclical payments and accept a 20-percent reduction in direct payments as well as a 30-percent reduction in loan rates for all commodities produced on the farm, according to the USDA.

Electing to enroll in the ACRE program requires carefulconsideration. Once they sign up, producers are committed to ACRE for their farm through the 2012 crop year.